Tonight's blog response is the same as the last two--write a specific response to at least one of today's presentations.
I was really impressed by your feedback in the last blog response--you provided constructive feedback, you referred your classmates to further topics for research, you offered great counterarguments,....
Keep up the good work! And don't forget your potluck item if you're bringing one on Tuesday.
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I found Zainib's presentation really interesting (sorry if I spelled your name wrong). The points she brought up about how The Punisher is a good guy yet seems to force justice through questionable means by enjoying the violence he comitts and the effect it can have on the reader I thought was a good argument. By allowing children or teenagers to constantly view any media can cuase them to become desensitized to violence, crime, and vugarity. I think her topic goes well with Justin's becuase it show that this growing violent/visually graphic images that our society constantly bombards on its viewers can have a negative impact. Is it bad that we find such things fun and entertaining? Does it relfect something of our values? I think maybe the paper could have been a little stronger with some statistics on how violent comics effect readers, similar to things Justin brought up in his paper.
ReplyDeleteResponse to Esther's presentation on 'Political Comics': I thought her overall presentation was really well done. It had a lot of good info to support her thesis. The topic was interesting and the word flow was right on cue. I found her comic choices funny as they well supported the main points. I esp enjoyed the comic that showed the Republican party airplane with the word bubble coming from the pilots area saying "Where are we?". I am curious to know if the artists are swayed in their biases by the papers in which they work for? or Are the artists mostly independent and they seek out the papers that will publish them? In a sense, whose hand is more biased? Is it the paycheck or the opinion that chooses its path? Nice change of pace from the other papers so far.
ReplyDeleteZainab's presentation brought up some very good points reguarding The Punisher comic book. I do agree that the comic is rather violent and puts forth no positive influence on children. However, at one point in the presentation she said "the visuals take away from the words." I believe she said this about the extremely violent images in the comic. I do not agree with this statement. Just because the image is violent does not mean that it will take away from the words, in fact it adds to them, making them come alive. That was the only thing I came to a disagreement about, other than that it was a superb presentation.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed listening to Zainab's presentation of her essay on violence in comics, especially in The Punisher. I have to say that that comic is a really good example and I kind of wished I had that for my presentation. Even though I agree with your stance that comics are very violent, I would like to know if you found any other comics that were exceedingly violent. I felt that if you had a couple more comics, that your essay would've been even more persusaive.
ReplyDeleteHoward's presentation on literacy and comics brought up what I thought was an important point. Comics are not a magical cure for illiteracy, nor can they completely teach every reading skill needed for school or work. Too much dependence on comics can reduce reading competence in prose or formal textbooks. The idea that comics can potentially harm reading skills adds weight to the argument against comics, thereby making the debate just a tad more balanced. The only thing I would suggest for further improvement is to clarify the arguments during the presentation.
ReplyDeleteTo Howard's Presentation:
ReplyDeleteHoward did a REALLY great job in his presentation because I cannot really think of any counterarguments to his argument. He provided really great sources to all of his points and his entire argument as a whole formed around the sources that he utilized. They all seem very credible and they all contributed equally to the magnitude of his entire argument as a whole. I found it especially helpful when he pointed out that children's reading skills are improved not by comics alone, but by the combination of comics and actual books together. I also like the example that he used about Shakespeare( i think), the one like Jacob's, where a shortened version is compared to the actual version because it illustrated what his paper stated. I also liked how one of the sources provided recent statistics based on the scores of reading tests that students received and how it showed that comics combined with regular books showed the most improvement. His paper also was clear and constantly interesting=)
I was most interested in Zainabs presentation because it focused on one specific character in comics, and his effect, making it easier to understand. Also, her argument made a lot of sense because its true that violence in comics isnt justified no matter what, but for some reason for characters like the punisher, people ignore the violence because of what he went through and because hes the "ggod guy". You had enough info to focus on one character so i think only using one was great. Which way should the punisher be looked at?...I think its very debatable
ReplyDeleteI think Howard's topic was an interesting one. i liked the information he gave on how comics can help those who are illiterate or less focused on reading. It was interesting to see the statistics on those who read comic books scored higher on tests. While he was giving the presentation, I questioned if too much dependence on comics could be a bad thing. I am glad that he also covered the aspect of keeping comic book learning as well as textbook learning balanced. He made a great point in showing that those who are less inclined to be readers may be more focused and interested if given a comic. A lot of his statistics were from younger students, so i wonder if the stats would be the same for students in high school perhaps?
ReplyDeleteSamantha's presentation had a good connection of comics to recent economic downturn, the political comics reflect this in their drawings such as the urinal cake replacing an actual cake. A very common and powerful statement she used during her presentation is that one picture can be more powerful than 1000 words. She also stated that people tend to react to political comics differently depending on their economic situation, and I found this too be very true. Overall a good presentation and I can't think of a counterargument because you covered both arguments well :D
ReplyDeletei thought zainabs presentation had an interesting point of view of comics. i liked how she talked about violence being promoted and being realized as "ok" if used by a "good" guy to fight evil. She had a good analysis of the punisher comic
ReplyDeleteI believe Howard's presentation was probably the best of the third day, because he had a clear, organized, and concise argument that everyone was able to understand. His argument that comic books can help literacy skills go up is a valid point and he had some great examples to back his presentation up. I feel Zainab did a great job as well explaining how The Punisher's violence is too graphic and the kinds of effects it can have. But, I did feel that maybe she should have brought up in her paper when violence is acceptable and when does violence become excessive.
ReplyDeleteZainab's topic really caught my interest. I think she did a great overall analysis of The Punisher comic, and I liked her points about how violence in comics can affect the readers negatively. A very good point she made was that readers of violent comics are more prone to aggression and hostility. Her topic also made me think if the Punisher can still be considered a superhero despite of the way he kills the villains (this makes him a villain, too, in a way). This reminded me of the quote "it is never right to do wrong to do right." Too much of violence is harmful to the reader and can influence him negatively, but when is it reasonable to incorporate violence in comics in order to still keep a dramatic effect? What kind/how much of violence can a reader take in that will not affect him negatively?
ReplyDeleteZainab presented a strong argument against violence in comics. It was good how she brought up findings by Albert Bandera concerning the relationship between kids and violence in the media. It's hard to come up with a counter argument with that kind of evidence. Although, I wonder if violent comics have a real effect on kids. Is it possible that people who commit violent crimes more often than not read violent comics?
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed Zainabs presentation, it was clear, easy to follow and she had extremely strong points. I was really impressed that she was able to focus her paper on one comic, and find enough research to support her points. I thought it was really helpful when she brought up the research that proved the violent effects of the punishers on its readers. But my question is does it effect all readers equally? Are younger children more effected than older, more mature readers? Overall great job Zainab!
ReplyDeleteI thought Zainab's paper was very interesting. I was never bored during her presentation, and she brought up some really good points like how the Punisher loses his hero status because of his excessive violence, and instead becomes something of a villain. My question pertains to the end of your paper where you stated that the amount of violence in the punisher is the problem, not the violence itself. You said that violence is smaller doses would be more acceptable, and I was wondering if there was any evidence to support that. I thought the common thought was "violence begets violence", no matter the amount.
ReplyDeleteI felt Zainab's paper had a lot interesting points and supported them well she was a good presenter because she spoke clearly and I did not have difficulty hearing her. A good point she brought up was when she talked about the punisher going beyond the normal superhero's revenge, she backed it up with scenes from the punisher that were extremely violent. She also brought up a point that I felt could have been backed up with reviews or statistics, it was where she stated that by reading this comic readers adjust easier to violence in real life. Maybe she could have compared it to violent movies or video games and bring up a point that they all relate somehow.
ReplyDeleteIn Zainab's presentation about Frank Castle, the Punisher, she explained that although Castle is mercisssely killing people in such a violent manner, it is seen as a good thing because he is seen as a good character avenging his families death. In other words, Castle takes away his status of a hero by his violence and mass killings, which are glorified for the purpose of entertainment.
ReplyDeleteAlso, Zainab pointed out the fact that people who view violent comics tend to be more violent, and viewers think that the violence in comics is good because it is portrayed to be for the good.
Great Points=]
In Zainab's presentation about Frank Castle, the Punisher, she explained that although Castle is mercisssely killing people in such a violent manner, it is seen as a good thing because he is seen as a good character avenging his families death. In other words, Castle takes away his status of a hero by his violence and mass killings, which are glorified for the purpose of entertainment.
ReplyDeleteAlso, Zainab pointed out the fact that people who view violent comics tend to be more violent, and viewers think that the violence in comics is good because it is portr